On Monday, Bautista, who will turn 36 on Oct. 19, addressed his contract situation and said the Blue Jays came to him two weeks ago to gauge what it would take for him to sign a new deal.

"If this is going to happen, they should know what it takes, and I told them the number because they asked me," Bautista told ESPN's Britt McHenry.

Bautista, 35, told reporters Monday that he is "not willing to negotiate."

"I'm not going to sit here and bargain for a couple of dollars," he said, adding later, "They either meet it or it is what it is."

On Tuesday, new Blue Jays general manager Ross Atkins wouldn't publicly address Bautista's stance, saying, "It doesn't need to be public, and it won't be from our end."

"To me, it's not a cloud," Atkins said Tuesday. "To me, it's really clear we've had really clear, effective communication. There is no ambiguity. We can focus on playing baseball. Jose feels good about doing that."

A six-time All-Star, Bautista is earning $14 million this year after the Blue Jays exercised the 2016 option in his current deal, and he can become a free agent after the World Series. He had 40 home runs and 114 RBIs last season, helping Toronto win the AL East and reach the playoffs for the first time since winning the 1993 title.

Bautista said he told Toronto he expects "present-day value." Atkins described their exchanges as "incredible" and praised Bautista's work ethic.

"I love being around the guy," Atkins said. "I love talking baseball with him. I love to hear him talking about his career. It gets me fired up."